Additive Industries Sells First MetalFAB1 System to Airbus APWorks

Airbus Group subsidiary Airbus APWorks has placed an order with Additive Industries for their first industrial 3D metal printing system, MetalFAB1.

Airbus APWorks is the first confirmed Beta customer for Additive Industries and brings a broad range of experience with metal additive manufacturing. They cover the entire value chain, from optimising component design to the choice of suitable materials, from prototyping to qualified serial production. Airbus APWorks supplies demanding customers in robotics, mechanical engineering, automotive, medical technology and aerospace.

According to Additive Industries the MetalFAB1 3D printer offers 10 x better reproducibility, productivity and flexibility compared to typical midrange systems. This performance is achieved by the machine’s robust and thermally optimised equipment design, smart feedback control and calibration strategies, elimination of waiting time along with automation of build plate and product handling. Its modular design allows for application-specific process configuration tailored to the customer’s needs. Up to four materials can be handled simultaneously in multiple build chambers, each with a build envelope of 420 x 420 x 400 mm with individual integrated powder handling. The system also includes a furnace for integrated stress relief heat treatment.

“We are proud to team up with Airbus as our first customer to further develop the process, new materials and applications as well as verifying the performance of the MetalFAB1 system. Their commitment emphasizes the potential of our new metal additive manufacturing system for industrial series production of functional parts”, said Daan Kersten, co-founder and CEO of Additive Industries.

“With the integrated MetalFAB1 solution, we believe to be able to simultaneously improve the product consistency and lower the cost price for metal additive manufacturing”, adds Joachim Zettler, Managing Director of Airbus APWorks.